Recipe ReDux: Raw Strawberry Chia Mini-Pies

So I’ve been missing for a while. In my defense, May turned out to be a…tumultuous month. There were some emotional highs and lows, there were losses that are still difficult to accept, and there were some life changes that were sad, but ultimately for the best. But, I have to tell you, despite all of that, I was relatively content. Why? Because I loved what I was doing at work. I had 6 beautiful weeks of working in Pediatrics where I got to interact with and help tiny babies and adorable children, the people who truly understand me the best, and I now know that that is where I am meant to be. What I’ve learned is that I should never underestimate the power of simply loving what you do every day.

Now I’m back in adult mode and summer is upon us. With the rising temperature, my desire to cook and bake has all but left me. I just can’t bring myself to turn on any kind of heat source. I’m in full on salad mode for my meals, but sometimes I just crave a good, homemade, baked good at the end of the day. Enter this month’s Recipe ReDux theme: Pie Love.

I decided to make my pies raw, since I made them on an especially warm and humid day. Using ingredients that I tend to always have on hand, I made a variation on my No-Bake Oatmeal "Cookies" for the crust, then blended up some strawberries to make a sort of strawberry chia seed jam filling. The result is light, refreshing, and just decadent enough to satisfy all my dessert needs. With strawberry season starting up, I’d say now is the perfect time to make these.

In retrospect, I wish I had built up the sides of the mini pies a little more to hold the strawberry filling better. So, my recommendation is to make only 8 pies, and donate the extra pie crust to building up the sides and making little pie-cups. I suppose we could call mine tarts instead. Either way, they're still delicious!

Raw Strawberry Chia Mini Pies

Makes 12 (or 8 if you build up the side more)

Ingredients:

2/3 cups chopped almonds
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
4 dates, pits removed
1 teaspoon peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons almond milk

2 cups fresh, halved strawberries
Dash of cinnamon
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

1. Combine the ingredients for the crust in a food processor and pulse until well blended. The mixture should be coarse, but sticky enough to form a ball.

2. Cut up 12 strips of parchment or wax paper and place one in each of 12 muffin tins. Divide the crust mixture among 12 muffin tins, pressing down on top of the parchment paper and forming either discs at the bottom of each tin, or building up the sides a bit to form cups.

3. Combine the strawberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and vinegar in a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed. Mix in the chia seeds.

4. Divide the strawberry mixture among the muffin tins and chill for at least one hour, or until the strawberry mixture sets. Serve cold to maintain the form, and preferably serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top (not pictured but highly recommended).

Enjoy!

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